Overused Terms

I had a conversation recently with a friend about over used/hyped buzzwords and recall somekind of authoritative media outlet publishing a annual study on terms that should be retired, from over-usage in the previous year. The publisher slips my mind, but after a recent conversation I thought I’d throw my list out there.

Frankly

Truthfully

Web 2.0

Web 3.0

Proactive

Paradigm

Synergy

No-brainer

Think out-of-the-box

It’s funny rather, how when I hear these terms I automatically associate the source using my “coolness” factor. Depending on the crowds you interact with, or business you work within, credibility can be gained or conversely lost based on your word choices. Sure, some people don’t realize, care, nor pay attention to such things, but if you want to stay ahead of the curve, remove these words from your vocabulary before you get labeled as somebody that industry has passed by.

As my colleague Doug once said, if you need to tell others you are innovative, you probably aren’t.